Laugh Your Way to Health: Laughter Reduces Pain and Improves Well-Being and Health

Beyond its broader health benefits, laughter is a potent antidote to pain, diminishing pain sensitivity and enhancing pain tolerance [1,5].

Participants were divided into two groups in a study led by researcher Stephanie Lapierre and her team. One group endured a 30-minute ordeal with a tedious documentary, while the other enjoyed a 30-minute comedic video extravaganza [9]. Remarkably, those who indulged in laughter during the funny video were notably less inclined to perceive pain in the same way as those subjected to the dull documentary.

When applied to chronic pain, consider the case of 41 women grappling with rheumatoid arthritis. Their exposure to a humorous story resulted in a substantial reduction in the levels of a pain-associated hormone, effectively aligning them with the hormone levels observed in a healthy control group [7].

This pain-relieving phenomenon is attributed to the release of happiness hormones, which reduce pain and alleviate stress. Furthermore, laughter contributes to the relaxation of tense muscles and relieves overall tension [1, 5,15]. Also, laughter’s efficacy in pain management is believed to stem from its distracting qualities, its role in fostering positive coping mechanisms, and its inherent social aspects [11].

Nevertheless, the research findings remain diverse, highlighting the importance of personal preferences and choices. For example, the effectiveness of humor in pain experiments appears to hinge on the alignment of the humor type with the individual and the autonomy of choosing the humorous content [11].